


What's in a Name

by Quatribobo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hufflepuff, Hurt/Comfort, Tumblr: thefandomimagine, reader is a hufflepuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23717461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quatribobo/pseuds/Quatribobo
Summary: Based on an imagine from thefandomimagine:Imagine being a Hufflepuff and Bellatrix, who is you mother, hates it. You are very protective over Neville and over the years you fall for each other.
Relationships: Neville Longbottom/Reader
Comments: 10
Kudos: 103





	What's in a Name

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this quite a while ago, and only just realised I'd never uploaded it to AO3. So here you go, I hope you enjoy!

“(Y/n) Lestrange” your name was called out, and several hushed whispers went through the Great Hall. It wasn’t a complete silence as had been the case with Potter’s sorting, but it still left you nervous. 

Not everyone would know your last name of course, muggle borns probably wouldn’t have hear of ‘Lestrange’, but the rest were probably familiar with the name.

What would you expect, with a bat-shit crazy mother in Azkaban?

You walked up to the front where professor McGonagall was standing with the sorting hat. You tried to ignore the judging looks from at least half of the Great Hall as the hat was placed on your head. It remained quiet as you nervously awaited its call, and when it came, none were as surprised as you. 

“Hufflepuff!” it shouted. Your eyes were wide as the hat was removed and you joined your house. _Your house. Hufflepuff. Not Slytherin._

You saw you cousin Draco look at you in confusion and slight betrayal, but quite frankly, you didn’t care. He was mean and cruel anyway. 

There was one look however that you completely missed; the look of the boy with confusion, sadness and anger in his eyes, the look of Neville Longbottom.

_\-----Time skip-----_

_‘You are no daughter of mine.’_

Those were the words your letter ended with. It had arrived from Azkaban during your second week at Hogwarts. Tears blurred your vision as you housemates comforted you, saying how you deserved better. You never liked your mother of course, but you had still seen her as such; your _mother_. But when she had received word about how you weren’t in Slytherin, she hadn’t hesitated in cutting you off entirely. 

You were no longer welcome ‘home’; over her dead body that you’d be another smudge on the noble house of Black, just like her cousin had been.

“What’s going on?” two voices asked behind you. Fred and George Weasley stood there, looking over your shoulder as they had seen you cry.

“I’s none of your business-” a fellow housemate said, but it was too late; they had already read what was in the short letter.

“Ow, that’s rough. We’re sorry, (y/n)” one of them said. You didn’t know who it was, you couldn’t tell them apart anyway.

“What does it matter to you?” you said, cursing the unsteadiness of your voice. 

“I think it’d be best if you leave her be for a while” your friend net to you whispered to them. They nodded and left, walking to the Gryffindor table. 

There, they were immediately bombarded with questions. 

“What’s going on?” Ron asked.

“Is she crying?” Angelina followed.

Making sure you were out of earshot, Fred said: “She just received a letter from her mother. She’s disowned for not being a Slytherin.”

“And I quote: ‘You are no daughter of mine’.” George finished.

“I knew her mother was cruel, but disowning her for being sorted into Hufflepuff? That’s even worse than cruel...” Ron muttered.

“Wait, you know her mother?” Harry asked confused.

“Of course! Don’t you? Oh, of course you don’t, sorry. Her mother is-”

“Bellatrix Lestrange” a new voice chimed in. It was Neville, who had been staring at his plate with a distant look on his face. He turned to Harry. “She’s the most vicious, cruel, evil woman alive. There hasn’t ever been a Death Eater more loyal to You-Know-Who, and I can’t say I’m surprised she’d do something like this.”

As the others looked at you, Neville thought about how his dislike for your mother couldn’t prevent him from feeling sorry for you.

_\-----Time skip to second year-----_

“Longbottom!” a voice called out through the halls. Malfoy’s voice reached your ears, and clearly Neville’s as well, for the boy visibly sped up. Malfoy laughed. “Look at him! Scared, Longbottom? Not much of a Gryffindor then, I’m guessing?”

“Shut up Malfoy” you called as you got up from where you had been sitting at the window to stand in the space between them.

Both boys looked surprised, but Malfoy quickly recovered. “Would you look at that; a Lestrange defending a Longbottom. Am I the only one who sees the irony?”

“How about you come here and say that to my face?” you hissed with a dangerous look covering your features. Malfoy hadn’t often seen his aunt, but in that moment he couldn’t help but see the likeliness between you two- and that was what scared him.

Covering up his fear he scoffed, and walked away.

You sighed and watched him round the corner. As you turned around, you saw Neville looking at you, still astonished.

“Sorry about him” you said as you looked at the ground.

“Why would you say sorry?” he asked quietly and nervously.

You shrugged. “Somebody has to. It isn’t fair how they treat you.”

“It isn’t fair how people treat _you_ either, but no-one’s apologising for that either.”

“Makes sense” you shrugged. Silence filled the hallway for a short (and slightly awkward) moment, until he spoke up again. 

“Thank you, by the way.”

“No problem” you said with a small smile, finally looking up at him.

“I- uh- I was just going to the library, w-would you, maybe, uh, like to join me?” he asked nervously, making a proper smile form on your face.

“I’d love to.”

And thus, your friendship began.

_\-----Time skip to January fifth year-----_

_MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN_

You dropped your cup with pumpkin juice as you read the main article in the Daily Prophet. With wide eyes, you scanned the entire article in search for one name, and shivered when you found it. She was out. Of all people, _she_ was one of the ten who got out of that wretched place. Your first reflex was to turn around to look at the Gryffindor table, and more specific; your best friend Neville. You saw him picking up Ron’s newspaper and freeze instantly. You got up, walked over to where he was sitting and laid your hand on his shoulder. He looked up to you, pale as a ghost and tears welling in his eyes. The few people who had meanwhile learned of the history between your parents watched you both from the corner of their eyes.

“I’m sorry” you muttered.

“Me too” he croaked, and enveloped you in a hug. He quietly cried on your shoulder, and even though you tried to keep your own tears at bay, you couldn’t stop one tear from rolling down your cheek.

_\-----Time skip to some months later-----_

“I want to know where Sirius is!” Harry shouted at Lucius Malfoy, who had just requested the prophecy. You all were in deep trouble, but you only realised just exactly how deep when the woman next to him spoke up.

“I want to know where Sirius is!” she mimicked. You recognised her voice in an instant.

“Mum.” The word had left your mouth before you had realised it, and her and Malfoy’s eyes snapped to you. Her eyes narrowed, and you felt Neville tense next to you.

“(Y/n)” she said coldly. “I see you’ve made yourself some _friends_. Always knew you were going to be a disappointment.”

No matter how much you wanted to deny it, her words stung. “You complete and utter-“

“How much I would hate to interrupt this family reunion” Malfoy cut you off, “there are much more important things to do at the moment.

“Don’t give me that crap, Malfoy” you hissed at him. You figured that if you kept them talking, Harry (or perhaps more likely Hermione) would come up with something to get you all out of there. “You get to see your son whenever you want to! So I _will_ talk my mother and I don’t care if you like it or not!”

“Watch your tongue, young lady!” your mother bellowed.

“You don’t get to tell me what to do!” you shouted. “You cast me out because I wasn’t sorted into Slytherin?? How messed up- what were you even _thinking??_ ”

“I was thinking of a certain cousin of mine who besmeared my line as well when he got sorted into Gryffindor!”

“Where is he?!” Harry shouted. As Malfoy chuckled and began his explanation, you heard Neville whisper: “Attack when Harry gives the sign.”

You nodded discreetly, and joined the shouting match once more.

“Let me tell you this, _mother_ ” you spat the word, “Every time you compare me to Sirius Black, I consider it an honour. He has always been, and will forever be, so much more that you will ever be!”

“You vile, wretched- YOU ARE NO DAUGHTER OF MINE!”

“Calm down, Bellatrix” Malfoy hissed, “we cannot risk breaking the-“

“NOW!” Harry shouted, and you attacked.

And then you ran.

(And when ten minutes later the Order showed up, Bellatrix was too busy chasing you around that she didn’t even glance in Sirius’ direction, who lived to be announced innocent later on. You’re welcome.)

_\-----Time skip to the end of seventh year-----_

You clamped Neville’s hand as Harry was laid down on the ground by Hagrid.

“He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds -” Voldemort gloated.

“That’s a lie” Neville whispered.

“- killed while trying to save himself” he continued.

Suddenly, Neville leapt forward with an angry shout.

“NEVILLE, NO!”

A bang sounded, and he was thrown to the ground. “Neville!” you yelled as you ran over to him.

“Neville?” Voldemort repeated.

“Longbottom” Bellatrix cackled. “The son of the Aurors.”

“And, apparently, close friend of little (Y/n) Lestrange.”

“It’s going to be Black, soon. I’m changing it to a name that holds at least _some_ honour.” Unbeknown to you, Sirius’ chest puffed a wit with pride in the background.

“You insulant little-“ Bellatrix began, but Voldemort cut her off.

“Come come Bellatrix, the child shows spirit, as does her friend. Tell me boy, are you pureblood?”

“So what if I am?” Neville spat as he stood up next to you.

“You will make a valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.”

“I’ll join you when Hell freezes over!” he shouted. “Dumbledore’s Army!!”

He was joined by several shouts behind you.

“Very well then, Neville Longbottom” she hissed, “on your head be it.”

Before you knew it, you were thrown aside as the Sorting Hat was placed on his head, he was petrified, and the Hat burst into flames. An uproar of shouts was heard and so many things happened at once, but you could only see Neville, he was going to burn-

“No!” your shout went unheard as you leapt at him and dragged of the Hat with your hands, burning them in the progress. You didn’t notice Neville drawing the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Hat and killing Nagini, the pain on your hands was excruciating. Sword still in his hands, he dragged you into the school, following the stream of people into the great Hall.

But it wasn’t over yet; soon, you found yourself battling Fenrir Greyback alongside Neville and Ron. When – after quite some trouble - you had defeated him, you turned around to see Slughorn, McGonagall and Kingsley fighting Voldemort, and Molly Weasley facing Bellatrix.

You hadn’t seen her as your mother in years, but when Molly landed the final blow, you couldn’t help but let out a broken sob. Her body fell to the floor, and your chest ached as it never had before. You didn’t watch the others anymore as your eyes remained on the lifeless body of the woman who had been your mum once. You didn’t even register the Great Hall breaking into cheers a minute later as the war was ended right in front of you. Instead of walking over to Harry, you walked to her and knelt down beside her.

Why did he have to be so cruel? Why couldn’t she have loved you like a mother should? More sobs followed as you streaked the hair out of her face.

“(Y/n)” you heard beside you as Neville sat down.

“I- I know I should be happy this war is over, b-but…”

“She was your mother once” he said, voice laced with understanding. You nodded.

“Come on” he said, took your hand and lead you outside to a calm, secluded spot. He took your burnt hands in his.

“You’re hurt because of me.”

“Of course I am” you said, wiping away the last of your tears. “You’re my best friend.”

He sighed, looking up at you. “ _Just_ your best friend?”

A small smile worked its way onto your face as you looked at him and leaned in. Your lips touched his and his response was immediate. He kissed you gently, hand coming to rest on your cheek. Your hands tangled themselves around his neck.

You slowly pulled away and your eyes fluttered open, a smile setting on your face. The moment was ruined however, when Seamus shouted in the distance: “Woo! Neville, get some!”

“Seamus!” Ginny shushed him, “Don’t ruin it, I’ve been waiting for them to get together since third year!”

You and Neville laughed, and shared another short kiss – once again being interrupted by others, though this time it was Dean.

“Lestrange and Longbottom, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” This time even Ginny cackled.

“Merlin I hate that name” you said, grin still on your face.

“You can have mine if you want” Neville said. Your eyes widened, and as his brain caught up with his mouth, he started blushing like he had never blushed before. “I- I mean- uh- sorry- um-“

You silenced him with another kiss. “I’d love that” you said with a smile as you pulled away.

“Wha- _REALLY?_ ”

“What ‘really’?” you heard Ginny saying, obviously having forgotten her respect for your privacy.

“I don’t know, I didn’t hear what they said” Dean said.

They didn’t have to wonder for long however, as Neville pulled you to your feet and spun you around. “GUYS!” he shouted, “WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!”

“YOU WHAT??”

“YOU GUYS ARE TOGETHER FOR TWO MINUTES AND YOU’RE ENGAGED?? HOW DOES THAT EVEN WORK??”

But their words fell on deaf ears as he ran off to the Great Hall, shouting about how he’s getting married to the girl of his dreams, leaving you standing there, giggling like a school girl.

You truly loved that boy, and you felt in your heart that you would be very happy with him.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos/comment if you liked it, it motivates a writer to write more!


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